April 30, 2018 at 3:10 PM (PT)

A new study by EDISON RESEARCH, entitled “The Infinite Dial: Heavy Radio Listeners,” found that one-fifth of broadcast radio’s biggest users already own a smart speaker. “Heavy Radio Listeners” are those who listened to more than one hour of radio a day, which comprises 30% of the American population 12+.

“At this time of industry transition, it is vital that radio managers have high-quality research that represents the full U.S. population to use to understand their audiences," EDISON RESEARCH Pres. LARRY ROSIN said. "This look at the Heavy Radio Listener from Infinite Dial allows everyone to understand not just what other kinds of audio and media people are using, but how Heavy Radio Listeners compare to the population at large. Readers of this report will see that the qualitative profile of Heavy Radio Listeners is very strong. This is the kind of information that radio managers can show to agencies and clients with confidence in the quality of the data.”

Other interesting data points:

* 82% of Heavy Radio Listeners have a radio in their home, which means nearly 18% of this group achieved ‘heavy’ status primarily through in-car or at-work listening.

* Smart Speakers in their homes. Those devices may allow for more at-home listening over time, but can also make it easier to use competing audio services.

* Radio’s best customers are heavy users of all audio. They listen heavily to broadcast radio, but do not limit themselves to it, something which has implications for future smart-speaker behavior.

* Nearly two-thirds of ‘heavies’ listen to audio online, with large numbers choosing YOUTUBE, PANDORA, and the streams of AM and FM radio stations.
* Over one-in-six Heavy Radio Listeners now say they have listened to a podcast in the last week.